Chennai: A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) district functionary, Vetri Vendhan (43), was arrested by the Tiruvallur town police for allegedly poisoning and killing 16 stray dogs after they attacked his pigeons and hens.
The incident came to light following a complaint filed by a local resident, Karthikeyan, who reported the mysterious death of a stray dog he had been raising. The police initiated an investigation and discovered that several stray dogs had died under similar circumstances on October 2.
CCTV footage from the area showed a man leaving food on the field, which later turned out to be laced with poison. Though the footage was unclear, further investigations linked the crime to Vetri Vendhan. During questioning, he confessed to the crime, stating that the stray dogs had repeatedly attacked his flocks of pigeons and brood of hens, after which he poisoned the dogs on two occasions on September 21 and October 1.
Tiruvallur town police registered a case against Vetri Vendhan under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. He was produced before the magistrate court in Tiruvallur and remanded to judicial custody.
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New Delhi (PTI): The Bar Council of India on Wednesday sought the urgent intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant following a "deeply disturbing" incident where a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly sent a young advocate to
24-hour judicial custody over a procedural lapse.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, in a formal representation, termed the conduct of Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao "grossly inappropriate" and "damaging to the confidence of the Bar".
“I most respectfully request your Lordship to kindly take immediate institutional cognizance of the matter and call for the video recording of the proceedings, the order passed, and the surrounding circumstances.
“I further request that appropriate administrative action may kindly be considered, including withdrawal of judicial work from the learned Judge pending review, his immediate transfer to some far off High Court, and his nomination for appropriate judicial training/orientation on court management, judicial temperament, Bar-Bench relations, and proportional exercise of contempt/judicial authority,” Mishra wrote.
This representation is made to preserve the “dignity, moral authority and public confidence of the judiciary”, he said, adding, “Judges command the highest respect not by fear, but by fairness, patience, restraint and constitutional humility”.
The communication urged the CJI to intervene at the earliest to ensure that the faith of Bar, particularly young advocates, in the protective and corrective role of the judiciary is restored.
The controversy stems from proceedings on May 5.
According to the BCI, a video circulating online shows Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing.
The letter said that despite the advocate "repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy" and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained "unmoved".
The judge allegedly told the lawyer, "now you will learn," and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.
The BCI chairperson said that the judge’s actions lacked proportionality and fairness.
"The dignity of the court is not enhanced when a lawyer is made to beg for grace in open court and is still sent to custody for a procedural lapse," the letter said.
"A young lawyer... is an officer of the Court, still learning, still growing, and entitled to correction without humiliation," it added.
The bar body said that such actions create a "chilling effect" on the legal fraternity, particularly among junior members, and undermine the mutual respect required between the Bench and the Bar.
